A smart reimagining of an ancient tale that questions old tropes.
Boy meets girl, girl loves boy—but girl’s hair was cursed and is made of living snakes.
The Medusa myth is given new shading and depth in a feminist retelling that homes in on the heart of a young girl punished unfairly for being herself. After being banished, Medusa lives with only her winged sisters for company on a hidden desert island until Perseus, a son of Zeus, arrives to bring light to her lonely days. Her first-person narration quickly builds connection with readers—even her snakes experience distinct emotions—as she begins to examine her own autonomy and her need to tell her story to a stranger. In her hunger for the sustenance of the connection she’s been denied, Medusa reconsiders the status quo and her relentlessly cruel treatment by both men and gods. Burton delves into the lingering trauma of sexual assault and toxic gender roles in a visceral call to empathy, with surprising twists on the original story. Some messages can veer toward heavy-handedness when they shift away from Medusa’s own distinct perspective, but Perseus’ description of her as a poet is also true of Burton’s prose; aquatic and mythical but not overwrought, its beauty is reflected in Gill’s sublime full-page illustrations. Rich in texture and color, they give the impression of a rediscovered ancient manuscript or mural. Medusa, her sisters, and Perseus have light-brown skin.
A smart reimagining of an ancient tale that questions old tropes. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0759-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans.
Romantic complications between a trained killer and one of her captors drive this sequel to Watch Me (2025).
Appealing to readers who prefer their romantic dramas to be light on action and heavy on long passages of banter, bitter sibling arguments, and tortured reflections, Mafi continues the tale of Rosabelle Wolff, the flaxen-haired assassin from the dystopic Reestablishment, and magnetic, “impossibly stunning” James Anderson, her nemesis-turned-lover who’s still trying to take down the regime. Now desperate to accomplish several secret missions, Rosa easily escapes from one of The New Republic’s prisons, where she was left in the series opener, and, dressed in “a little kid’s cat onesie,” eludes all pursuers except for James, who can seemingly find her at will. Enigmatic Rosa responds unpredictably to many human contacts—including with violence, temporary death (one of her abilities), or a sudden panic attack. Along with the central pair of rivals and lovers, James’ older brother, Aaron, shares the narration. Bestseller Mafi tucks in several subplots, including, notably, a cameo from Juliette Ferrars, the protagonist of the original Shatter Me series, who’s undergoing a scarily difficult pregnancy. Amid the slowly simmering rising action, the author delivers a revelation and a twist that set up a potential series climax. Some ethnic diversity is present in the supporting cast.
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans. (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780063419056
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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